Imagine waking up to find out that the biggest employer in your town is shutting its doors — and there's little you can do to stop it.
That's the tough reality that 135 workers in Napa County are now facing as Coca-Cola moves forward with the closure of its American Canyon bottling plant.
What happened?
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Coca-Cola will permanently shut down its 350,000-square-foot American Canyon facility by June 30, impacting 135 jobs.
The plant, which has operated since 1994, produces beverages such as Powerade, Minute Maid, Vitamin Water, and Gold Peak Tea.
Coca-Cola acquired the site in 2002. In a statement on the closure, the company said: "We did not make this decision lightly and are grateful to have had the opportunity to have been a part of the American Canyon community."
Workers are being encouraged to seek positions within Coca-Cola's broader network or with partners such as Refresco.
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Why is Coca-Cola's plant closure concerning?
While shifting production overseas may streamline operations, the decision still devastates local workers and removes sustainability oversight from the equation, which is a growing concern as companies seek cheaper manufacturing options.
The closure is part of Coca-Cola's "asset right" strategy, a business model focused on transferring bottling duties to third-party firms such as Refresco, allowing Coca-Cola to concentrate on brand management rather than in-house production.
According to a study in Science Advances, Coca-Cola is responsible for 11% of the world's branded plastic pollution.
Analysis from Oceana, shared by the Guardian, estimated the company's plastic waste in oceans will hit 602 million kilograms (over 1.3 billion pounds) per year by 2030.
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Some bottlers, such as Liberty Coca-Cola Beverages, have introduced recyclable plastic ring packaging as a step forward, but critics argue these efforts don't go far enough, especially since plastic can generally only be recycled a handful of times before it is no longer strong enough. That's in contrast to aluminum and glass, which are infinitely recyclable.
Microplastics continue to pollute oceans and harm marine life, and without more aggressive action, Coca-Cola's footprint will only grow.